2016 - Talking Bridge is born
Began building my network and helped several organizations with PowerPoint presentations.
2017 - Moving and trying to figure things out
Spring: Developed an education program with a friend. Never finished it due to relocating.
Fall: Built a new network and joined a project on industrial symbiosis.
2018 - A period of growth
Was elected “New Company of the Year” in the municipality.
Took part in an international retreat focusing on climate communication.
Began working with CirEko, developing skills in circular economy.
Started collaborating with Gapminder.
2019 - Reaping what was sown
Continued all the projects started the year before.
Helped several student-run companies with their pitches and presentations.
2020 - A storm is coming
Moved back to the south of Sweden.
Started to see the effect of the pandemic.
2021 - No words
Fell into a black hole and struggled a lot with demons in my mind.
2022 - Breaking out of the cocoon
Rebuilt and reinvented myself.
Came into contact with and became a shareholder in Emprogage.
2023 - Tested my new wings
Started teaching in higher vocational education.
Became a business adviser.
2024 - Gaining momentum
Continued and expanded teaching in higher vocational education.
2025 - Building a new foundation
Launched my newsletter.
Began training other vocational educators.
Became a keynote speaker for Gapminder.
10 years summed up in 20 bullets.
They say something but communicates nothing.
They tell a story but leaves out the important parts.
This week I am not writing to fill in the blanks.
Nor to tell the entire story and connect the dots.
This is not a list of things I would have done differently.
This is not a list of advice for you going forward.
This week I am simply writing to emphasize a quote I heard many years ago.
One that is good to keep in mind at the start of every year.
Practice seeing more than one year at a time
By now you are familiar with my love of looking deeper at things.
Taking the time to see more layers of yourself and the world around you.
At the beginning of a new year, you tend to reflect back, and dream forward.
Instead of what is being done this week, or the project next month, you shift
perspective and see an entire year. That shift is powerful but you still only see one year.
People overestimate what they can do in a year, but
underestimate what they can do in a decade.
This quote reminds you to see even more.
It is not an excuse to relax and casusally state that “well, I can do that next year.”
It is a reminder that sometimes, it takes time for a tree to grow.
It takes time to build, tear down and rebuild.
One year of stagnation is not a year lost.
It is one chapter in your life.
And if you only focus on one year at a time, the story is harder to follow
What is your next chapter?
If someone had asked me if I thought I was going to be key-note speaker for
Gapminder after 10 years of starting my business, I wouldn’t have believed them.
They could have told me everything and I would have thought they were joking. But here I am.
So what can I tell you right now about your life, that you aren’t going to believe?
What are you dreaming about that are so crazy that you don’t even dare to say it?
New year = new possibilities.
Explore those deepest dreams and wishes.
All those whispers from the heart that are often silenced by the brain.
Listen to dreams and ideas. Plant those seeds and look after them over the next decade.
You will be surprised what you can do in that time.
Until next time!
Daniel - The Talking Bridge
Ps. Music Motivation:
